The Rougeot Charvin® label
Le Rougeot du Charvin® is an exclusive local supplier’s label – but for Mont Charvin, it is a guarantee of quality above all else. To unite everyone involved around an all-encompassing ethos covering everything from animal welfare to responsible processing, we have developed a highly demanding set of specifications.
The “Rougeot Quality Charter” takes a genuinely cross-disciplinary approach so that consumers can enjoy Savoyard pork bred on deep straw beds. Importantly, it also helps to guarantee superior quality flavour in our dense yet tender meat.
“As a Master Artisan, I am extremely demanding when it comes to selecting ingredients. I make sure they are both high-quality and sourced as locally as possible.
This was our aim when we created our local label for deep straw bed-reared pigs, Le Rougeot du Charvin®”
Christian Favre, Master Artisanal Charcutier
“As a Master Artisan, I am extremely demanding when it comes to selecting ingredients. I make sure they are both high-quality and sourced as locally as possible.
This was our aim when we created our local label for deep straw bed-reared pigs, Le Rougeot du Charvin®”
Christian Favre, Master Artisanal Charcutier
A Quality Charter for the Rougeot du Charvin® pig farming label
To draw up a Quality Charter based on the highest quality standards, Christian Favre has joined forces with breeders and partners selected for their expertise and adherence to strong ethical values. This was the dynamic behind the Rougeot du Charvin® farming label when it was founded in 2017. The Charter covers:
- Farming conditions and practices: farm buildings must be exposed to natural light and ventilated in summer; pigs must be free to move around
- A GMO-free diet : made from cereals and whey sourced from cooperatives
- Hygiene specifications which prohibit the use of preventive antibiotic treatments
- Farming and slaughtering procedures
- Identifying and tracing animals
Our label has already partially met Agriculture Biologique (AB) organic farming standards. Our ambition over the near future is to have part of our business certified.
Animal welfare: a top priority
While our ethics and the impact we have on others are clearly a significant concern in themselves, it has now become absolutely clear that meat’s quality depends on animals’ conditions both during and at the end of their life. Well before this became publicly known in the media, Christian Favre and the whole Salaisons du Mont Charvin team committed to sourcing meat from farms which take animal welfare seriously.
Respect for animal welfare
Rougeot du Charvin® meets all the animal welfare criteria set out by
theWorld Organisation for Animal Health, as it uses the deep straw beds that pigs need to thrive. Currently, Rougeot du Charvin® operates in Chevaline, in Haute-Savoie, in an unspoilt natural environment between the Bauges Mountains and Lake Annecy. Other breeders located in Savoie are on their way to joining our label.
Respecting pigs’ natural behaviour
The use of straw beds is good for the environment, but it also meets farmed pigs’ needs. Pigs are naturally curious and love to burrow; in fact, this kind of exploratory behaviour is a fairly unique to their species. Straw allows them to dig around all they want. This helps them to remain active, which greatly enhances their well-being.
“Animal welfare is a top priority.
And if we can make farmers’ working lives easier in the process, then that’s all the more reason to do it!”
Respect for animal welfare
Rougeot du Charvin® meets all the animal welfare criteria set out by the World Organisation for Animal Health , as it uses the deep straw beds that pigs need to thrive.
Currently,
Rougeot du Charvin® operates in Chevaline, in Haute-Savoie, in an unspoilt natural environment between the Bauges Mountains and Lake Annecy. Other breeders located in Savoie are on their way to joining our label.
Respecting pigs’ natural behaviour
The use of straw beds is good for the environment, but it also meets farmed pigs’ needs. Pigs are naturally curious and love to burrow; in fact, this kind of exploratory behaviour is a fairly unique to their species. Straw allows them to dig around all they want. This helps them to remain active, which greatly enhances their well-being.
“Animal welfare is a top priority.
And if we can make farmers’ working lives easier in the process, then that’s all the more reason to do it!”
A traditional farming methodology
that guarantees quality
Rougeot du Charvin®’s Quality Charter guarantees high standards of animal welfare, quality meat and strong commitments to the local environment and economy.
“Our cured meat specialities retain all the great taste that our local traditions and artisanal techniques promote. Specifically, as part of these farming traditions, the pigs are slaughtered each winter in the heart of the countryside, marking an important moment of celebration for local people.”
A delicious flavour
Premium-quality delicious meat: tender, delicious and very easy to cook.
Sensory analyses clearly show that pigs reared on straw bedding are both tastier and more tender than pigs raised using other production methods. Fresh meat from the Le Rougeot du Charvin® label stands out for its firmness and excellent cooking qualities.
We use 100% of our labelled farm’s meat for our fresh pork, and Mont Charvin cured Savoie ham. Our ambition is to source 50% of our supplies from the label so that we can continue to support as many local farmers, breeders and abattoirs as possible.
“Our cured meat specialities retain all the great taste that our local traditions and artisanal techniques promote. Specifically, as part of these farming traditions, the pigs are slaughtered each winter in the heart of the countryside, marking an important moment of celebration for local people.”
A delicious flavour
Premium-quality delicious meat: tender, delicious and very easy to cook.
Sensory analyses clearly show that pigs reared on straw bedding are both tastier and more tender than pigs raised using other production methods. Fresh meat from the Le Rougeot du Charvin® label stands out for its firmness and excellent cooking qualities. We use 100% of our labelled farm’s meat for our fresh pork, and Mont Charvin cured Savoie ham .
Our ambition is to source 50% of our supplies from the label so that we can continue to support as many local farmers, breeders and abattoirs as possible.
Why don’t 100% of Mont Charvin products come from the Le Rougeot du Charvin® farm?
Currently, pork production in Savoie remains low. We are pursuing our efforts to consolidate the industry, in particular by finding other breeders or by getting them involved in our approach.
Moreover, our products require several top-quality cuts such as shoulder, ham or fillet. We need ten times more shoulder joints than heads for our products, for example. We must therefore source certain supplies elsewhere, while applying the same quality standards and reselling the parts we do not use.
Good for the environment
Unlike intensive farming, straw-bed farming encourages more ethical practices which are good for the environment.
Carefully preserved water resources
Straw offers the valuable advantage of absorbing the nitrogen present in animal droppings by turning them into compost. It offers an excellent alternative to slurry, which contaminates groundwater with nitrate.
A GMO-free diet
GMOs’ negative impact of on biodiversity is one of the key reasons why Mont Charvin has opted for this particular diet. All pig food in the Rougeot du Charvin® farm must be guaranteed GMO-free.
Whey: a “natural dietary supplement” for piglets
Whey is a by-product made when milk is processed into cheese. It is widely underused, but it is an excellent natural source of minerals that is particularly good for pigs. This is why it is included in piglets’ feed for up to 25 weeks.
A short supply chain that limits the need to travel
From farms to abattoirs and finally the processing plant, the Rougeot du Charvin® production chain covers a small geographical area the heart of the Savoie region, which helps to preserve the meat’s quality.
“Mont Charvin is attentive to all the little details at every stage in product development, including at the pig farm!”
Good for the environment
Unlike intensive farming, straw-bed farming encourages more ethical practices which are good for the environment.
Carefully preserved water resources
Straw offers the valuable advantage of absorbing the nitrogen present in animal droppings by turning them into compost. It offers an excellent alternative to slurry, which contaminates groundwater with nitrate.
A GMO-free diet
GMOs’ negative impact of on biodiversity is one of the key reasons why Mont Charvin has opted for this particular diet. All pig food in the Rougeot du Charvin® farm must be guaranteed GMO-free.
Whey: a “natural dietary supplement” for piglets
Whey is a by-product made when milk is processed into cheese. It is widely underused, but it is an excellent natural source of minerals that is particularly good for pigs. This is why it is included in piglets’ feed for up to 25 weeks.
A short supply chain that limits the need to travel
From farms to abattoirs and finally the processing plant, the Rougeot du Charvin® production chain covers a small geographical area the heart of the Savoie region, which helps to preserve the meat’s quality.
“Mont Charvin is attentive to all the little details at every stage in product development, including at the pig farm!”
Good for the economy
With the Rougeot du Charvin®, Les Salaisons du Mont Charvin is aiming to put in place an artisanal-quality pig farming business while also revitalising Savoie’s agricultural economy.
Reconnecting with traditional farming techniques
Industrialised pig farming has made the Savoie countryside’s traditional pig breeding techniques uncompetitive. As a result, they have all but disappeared. A whole part of the economy has disappeared with them, including the cheesemakers who supplied the whey which is so good for pigs’ health and the pig farmers themselves.
Mont Charvin wanted to revive Savoie’s potential as supplier and redevelop this industry with a network of local operators covering everything from cereal production for feed (in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region) to processing.
To bolster the development of equitable local farming practices, Mont Charvin supports and implements straw-bed pig farming in Savoie with help from local agricultural colleges (ENILV and the Div’Agri Regional Federation).
Today, Le Rougeot du Charvin® products are sourced from a family farm in Chevaline (Haute-Savoie) and make up 10% of our pork supplies across all our ranges. More farmers will join our label in the near future.
Not just a charter: a quality guarantee
Mont Charvin is in constant contact with its partner breeders in order to guarantee good farming conditions. The production criteria required by Mont Charvin are set out in the Le Rougeot du Charvin®’s specifications. While we have an entirely trusting and open relationship with our committed partners, our farmers are regularly audited to reconfirm their compliance with the specs.
Le Rougeot du Charvin® is a genuinely person-centred network in which every member is closely linked. This virtuous circle guarantees that our healthy, authentic products remain traceable, while also supporting the local economy.
Not just a charter: a quality guarantee
Mont Charvin is in constant contact with its partner breeders in order to guarantee good farming conditions. The production criteria required by Mont Charvin are set out in the Le Rougeot du Charvin®’s specifications. While we have an entirely trusting and open relationship with our committed partners, our farmers are regularly audited to reconfirm their compliance with the specs.
Le Rougeot du Charvin® is a genuinely person-centred network in which every member is closely linked. This virtuous circle guarantees that our healthy, authentic products remain traceable, while also supporting the local economy.